ShoreRivers’ Sassafras Riverkeeper Zack Kelleher, Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta, and Chester Riverkeeper Annie Richards are pictured in Annapolis ahead of a day of advocating for legislation that supports clean rivers and healthy waterways.
Now that the Maryland General Assembly has reconvened for the 445th Legislative Session, ShoreRivers’ advocacy efforts are in full swing. The organization’s advocacy work, which is led by the Riverkeepers, is fundamental to creating system-wide change to protect local rivers against the major issues that impact water quality on the Eastern Shore.
ShoreRivers, in partnership with the broader environmental community, has several priorities going into this session:
a Well Safety Act that will protect private well owners and establish a state-wide Well Safety Program;
septic system reforms to update and maintain systems that are currently aging and failing;
legislation that will reform the state’s living shoreline laws;
a bill that aims to better control stormwater pollution coming from construction sites;
a bill that aims to create climate-ready floodplain ordinances to address land use practices that are insufficient in the face of sea level rise and coastal storm surge;
the 30x30 Maryland the Beautiful bill to support land conservation;
laws that prohibit the disposal of yard waste and grass clippings in roadways; and
a bill that seeks to increase forest protections under the Forest Conservation Act.
ShoreRivers also supports federal legislation to designate the Chesapeake Bay as a National Recreational Area. Additional bills and legislation could be added to this list as they are introduced, in line with ShoreRivers’ mission of protecting and restoring Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.
Just as ShoreRivers implements restoration projects throughout our communities, engages volunteers in tree plantings and oyster growing, and reaches thousands of students each year through environmental education programs in local schools, the organization’s advocacy at the local, state, and federal level ensures that all of those endeavors can continue in order to support water quality improvements. Maryland’s laws and regulations should protect and support these local investments, and ShoreRivers looks forward to a productive legislative session with members of the General Assembly and fellow environmental advocates. Visit shorerivers.org to learn more about this important work.